


In the Rough

by realisticallycynical



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, M/M, Mutual Pining, Runaway Royalty, especially since it doesnt get much screen time, i would say slow burn but like, its seems closer to, the otayuri in this can be seen either way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-10-18 12:30:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10616964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realisticallycynical/pseuds/realisticallycynical
Summary: It's not uncommon for Prince Yuuri to run off for a few days at a time when everything gets to be too much for him, but this time is different. After the stress of her upcoming coronation leads Crown Princess Katsuki Mari to take an argument with her brother a little too far, he runs off yet again, this time swearing not to return until the coronation, so as not to impose on her any further.In the woods, on his way to a neighboring kingdom, he encounters a carriage being attacked. He steps in to help and soon finds himself in the employment of the neighboring country as the hand-picked personal guard for Crown Prince Nikiforov.The thing is that somehow, Yuuri's status as a prince never actually comes up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SkyGem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyGem/gifts).



There’s a lot about Mari that Yuuri loves. In fact, he’d go so far as to say that he loves his sister more than almost anyone else, except maybe his parents. Despite their six year age difference, neither of them have ever had any other kids to really interact with. As such, each of them were the other’s best and only friend. But the fact has always remained that Mari is older than Yuuri. One day, he’s always known, she will be the queen of Yutopia. What he didn’t expect was for that day to come so quickly, or have such a profound effect on their relationship.

It was gradual at first: Mari turning him away from her door when he asks her to help him with his studies, Mari spending more and more time in the library with her own when she was never the best of students before, Mari lashing out at him when he actually gets the courage to press for her attention occasionally. Time and again, Mother assures him that it’s just the responsibility of being the crown princess that’s weighing on her. Still, Yuuri can’t help if he’s lonely.

That’s what led to this.

“Not now, Yuuri.” Mari is sounding increasingly irritated with him, but he can’t really seem to stop himself. It’s been months since they’ve had a proper conversation.

“It will only take a minute, I promise!”

“I don’t have a minute!” she finally snaps, rounding on him. “I don’t have a minute to myself because the coronation is so soon. What on earth makes you think that I have time to spare for you? Don’t be such a clingy child!”

Yuuri silently curses the way his eyes well up with tears. “I… Excuse me.”

“Yuuri, wait. I didn’t mean–” He can hear her calling out to his back, but the words don’t really register.

Being too overbearing has always been Yuuri’s biggest fear; he’s emotional and soft in a way that no self-respecting royal should ever be. Mari knows this, and used it against him. He really must be too much if she of all people is telling him so. He can just leave her alone until after the coronation. Maybe longer, if it looks like she’s feeling too overwhelmed by his presence. He has an outfit that he uses sometimes when palace life is too much for him and he sneaks out to go to town. He can use that to sneak out. He can take a horse, a sword, and some money, and hide out somewhere until everything blows over in a couple of months.

It doesn’t take Yuuri long to slip past the guards and get off the castle grounds. He’s done it countless times before, once even smuggling Prince Phichit out with him. He slips out the back way, through the forest. Everyone in town knows his face, and most of his subjects do too; it will be best to avoid people for a while.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that he’s brave enough to stray from the path. The woods between this and the next kingdom are deep, and more than one traveller has gotten lost within them, or attacked by robbers. If his maps are right, he’ll be able to get to the next kingdom within a fortnight.

Sleeping on the forest floor is irritating, but hardly anything new; this isn’t the first time that Yuuri has disappeared for a few days, even if it’s the first time that he’s planning on leaving the kingdom without permission. By the eighth day, Yuuri’s rations are beginning to get a bit low. He’s grimy, there are leaves and twigs in his hair, and his ratty cloak is rattier than ever. Still, he doesn’t turn back. At this point, going home would create more distress than it would relieve. If need be, he can just… kill a rabbit or something. There’s a stream less than ten minutes from the path, and making a fire is no problem. He can make it to the next kingdom.

The sound of a carriage jolts him out of his thoughts. He darts back into the trees, hiding in a bush. He still hasn’t crossed the Yutopia border, so it’s possible– probable, even –that the driver of that carriage knows who Yuuri is. As the carriage draws closer, Yuuri can make out little details that start to change his mind. Its blue, for one thing, and only a single carriage; most trader caravans are made up of several plain wagons with faded paint.

Yuuri hears rustling behind him. In less than a second, the quiet rustling becomes shouting. Bandits. Seven men attack the carriage from all sides, one even jumping from a tree to land on top of the carriage. Yuuri doesn’t even realize that he’s drawing his sword until it’s already out.

The door to the carriage flies open and two men– one man and one boy, really, no more than thirteen –jump out, weapons drawn and ready. The boy shouts something that sounds like “Stay the fuck there or I’m telling Dad,” but Yuuri can’t focus too much on him. He’s taken down one of the robbers, but there’s another one coming at him.

It takes the three of them nearly twenty minutes to knock out all of the robbers, and when they do, they’re panting.

“Thank you for the help.” The dark-haired man from the carriage holds out his hand for Yuuri to shake. “We might not have made it without you.”

“It–It was nothing, really.” Yuuri holds up his hands, as if that will deflect the praise. “I was just trying to help. Anyone would have done the same.”

“Tch.” The boy sheaths his sword. Now that Yuuri has a chance to look at him, he’s amazed. The boy is beautiful, almost fairy-like, but he fights like a demon. He’s also dressed like a royal. “At least you didn’t get in the way.”

Yuuri doesn’t quite know how to respond to that, but as it turns out, he doesn’t have to. There’s a laugh from inside the carriage and someone else exits. This man is definitely a royal, and it’s possible that he’s even more beautiful than the boy. They must be related, with their strangely colored hair and eyes.

“That’s high praise coming from you, Yuratchka.” The man looks Yuuri up and down, and Yuuri has to force himself not to blush. “I’ve decided. He’ll be my new bodyguard. I’ve been needing a new one, and I can’t bear to see my beloved younger brother fight on my behalf anymore.”

The man swoons dramatically, but it looks like he’s actually about to fall. Neither of his companions make a move to catch him, and neither does the driver, a woman with bright, fiery red hair. Yuuri is there before he knows it, catching the man before he can actually fall to the ground.

He finds himself looking into the most piercing pair of eyes that he’s ever seen. His eyes inexplicably heat up and Yuuri can tell that if he looks for too long, he’ll be overwhelmed; those eyes can see straight into his soul.

“Be careful,” Yuuri manages.

The man flicks a piece of silver hair out of his eyes and smiles, standing up straight. “Yes, he’ll do nicely. I’m keeping him.”

He ends up on the floor a second later anyway, courtesy of the flying kick that the boy– his younger brother, Yuuri reasons –aims at his back. “Don’t just assume that some random man in the forest is trustworthy enough to be your bodyguard! Think this through, old man!”

“I’m only twenty two,” the man pouts from the ground. “You’re so mean, Yuratchka. Besides, he saved my life, and he doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go. Dad will allow it.”

Yuratchka rolls his eyes and walks over to the carriage. “Whatever. You might want to ask him what his name is before you ask him to risk his life for you though.”

The door slams and Yuuri is still a little confused. The man is still on the ground, the dark haired man from earlier is sheathing his sword without a care in the world, apparently used to this sort of behavior.

“He has a point!” Silver-Haired Man bounces up and picks the twigs out of his hair. “If you’re my new bodyguard, I must know your name.”

“Yuuri,” he says without thinking. Then he realizes that giving his true last name could be a very bad idea. “Yuuri… Nishigori.”

Silver-Haired Man introduces himself as Victor Nikiforov, the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom. The fairy-like boy with the foul mouth is indeed his brother, Prince Yuri. The other man is Georgi Popovich, Yuri’s personal bodyguard, and their driver is called Mila. The four of them have apparently been travelling together nearly all of Yuri’s life.

The reality of what he’s just inadvertently agreed to doesn’t hit until he’s sitting in the carriage with them later: he’s agreed to become the personal bodyguard to the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom, who would no doubt know his name but not his face. Yuuri can’t help but wonder how he’s going to get himself out of this one without causing himself and everyone around him massive embarrassment.

Luckily, he has several months to come up with a solution.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not changing anything about the formatting from tumblr to here, so each chapter is going to have a summary at the beginning

_Previously: Yuuri is the prince of the country of Yutopia. His older sister, Crown Princess Mari Katsuki, is readying to ascend to the throne. Due to the stress, she has allowed her relationship with her brother to deteriorate, causing him to leave for the sake of putting less stress on her. While trekking to the neighboring country, Yuuri comes across a carriage, which is soon attacked by bandits. As reward for helping to incapacitate said bandits, neighboring Crown Prince Victor Nikiforov offers him a job as his personal bodyguard, complete, of course with the food and shelter guaranteed of a servant. Yuuri has eight months before he has to go home. Besides, he’s too awkward to refuse._

Not for the first time, Yuuri wonders how he got here. Granted, he already knows exactly how, but that doesn’t stop him from wondering when Victor drags him from the carriage the instant they reach the palace.

“Let’s go, Yuuri! The guards will let Father know that we’re back and we can talk to him after we bathe, since no one is fit to be seen after travelling.” Victor’s grip on his arm is like iron.

Yuuri looks desperately at their companions, all of whom seem to be conveniently busy with their fingernails. “Your Highness, I don’t think–”

“Call me Victor,” Victor says, turning a grin in Yuuri’s direction even as they’re moving. “You don’t need to be so formal with me. After all, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, Yuuri!”

“Your Highness,” Yuuri says again, refusing to be put off by Victor’s odd behavior, “I don’t think it’s proper for us to bathe together. _You_ are the crown prince, and _I_ am a servant.”

At least, as far as Victor knows. Still, it wouldn’t be appropriate whether Yuuri was there as a prince or as a servant.

“I thought you might say that,” Victor winks at him and takes him by the hand. “But Yuuri, you are no servant. Not until my father confirms your appointment. Until then, you’re technically our guest. And isn’t bathing together common among your people when entertaining guests?”

“Well, yes, but…” There’s a bit more to the tradition than that. Yuuri is torn between being amused and being exasperated, so he settles on a bit of both. “Your Highness. I still must say that this is improper in _your_ country.”

There’s no talking Victor out of it, since he apparently stopped listening at yes. “Great! Then let’s go!”

If he’s being totally honest with himself, he’s uncomfortable with the idea of bathing with Victor because of more than just propriety. If there’s one thing that he’s noticed in the few days that they’ve been travelling together, it’s that Victor is gorgeous in a way that Yuuri can never match. He’s sure that Victor won’t be looking at him at all, but that doesn’t stop the anxiety from worming its way back into his mind.

He beats it back by forcing himself to do as he’s asked. If Victor truly sees him as a guest for now, it would be rude to refuse his hospitality. The bath is less awkward than he expected, Victor chattering away about everything and nothing. Yuuri keeps his sword nearby– he _is_ still expected to guard the crown prince’s life, after all, royal or not –but overall enjoys himself far more than he thought he would.

Victor has a soldier’s uniform brought in for him, but Yuuri still folds his travelling outfit meticulously. He may need it again at some point; besides, he doesn’t like leaving messes for his own servants to clean up, much less someone else’s. It’s always seemed rude, no matter how many times they told him not to worry about it.

Then it’s time to meet the Tzar. On one hand, it’s something that Yuuri has done a hundred times before: meeting with other royals to make deals, sign treaties, and even, on one memorable occasion, to prevent war.

On the other hand, all of those meetings happened with Yuuri acting as himself, as the prince of Yutopia. Now he’s nothing more than a servant, and it’s nerve-wracking.

The Tzar is a terrifying looking man named Yakov with a permanent scowl that deepens when he hears Victor’s decision to hire Yuuri. “Vitya, I told you I would find you a bodyguard before the end of the week. Send the boy home.”

“I’m sorry, Father,” Victor says, not looking or sounding apologetic at all. “This one time, I must disobey.”

“You _always_ disobey!” The Tzar and Yuratchka snap at the same time, nearly identical irritation on their faces. The difference is, where Yuratchka just looks irritated (it’s his natural state of being, Yuuri has noticed), the Tzar looks like he’s praying for strength.

Yuuri doesn’t know what prompts him to speak up, but speak up he does. “Your Majesty, if I may.”

Victor looks as surprised as the Tzar, who grants Yuuri permission to speak with a nod.

“I understand your hesitance to welcome a new guard into the fold on nothing more than a whim, your Majesty. Not only a new guard, but a foreigner from a country that you have had nearly no political ties to in the last three hundred years. However, if there is one thing that I have come to understand in the last three days that your sons have been my travelling companions, it is that…” Yuuri glances at Victor, a little unsure of how he should phrase this.

“I’m sure that he is well loved by your country for his charisma and charm, as well as his inherent goodness. However, with all due respect, Majesty, Prince Victor may require more protection from himself than the outside world.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuuri notices Victor pouting a little, but no one contradicts him. Tzar Yakov even looks a little impressed, so Yuuri gets to the point. “I have no family to depend on me. I will agree to whatever security measures you feel necessary to prove my trustworthiness. If I may be so bold, I offer my services free for eight months. If you find me unsatisfactory or find a better replacement by then, of course, remove me from duty.”

It’s about the boldest thing he could have possibly said, and his mouth snaps shut even as his face flushes bright red. He’d definitely acted as his usual self then, and he can feel aqua eyes boring into him suspiciously even as the Tzar looks contemplative and Victor looks impressed.

“I didn’t know my Yuuri was so eloquent.” Victor smiles widely. “Or so bold. Wow! Amazing!”

“Y–Yours?” Yuuri looks at Victor with wide eyes, realizing a split second too late how rude he must seem to the Tzar right now.

But when he looks back, the Tzar doesn’t seem the slightest bit offended. He seems more resigned than anything. “You have your heart set on this one, Vitya?”

“Absolutely.” Victor looks decisive, as if he already knows that he’s won. “Yuuri has already saved my life. There’s no reason to be suspicious.”

 _Don’t be naive,_ Yuuri wants to say. _There are infinite reasons to be suspicious._

Yuratchka is still glaring holes into the side of his head, but Yakov seems to be aware of Yuuri’s exasperation. He seems to approve of it, in fact. “I’ll agree to this, then. For now. Who knows, Vitya? Maybe this soldier can teach you how to be a better prince.”

Victor doesn’t even acknowledge the thinly veiled insult, simply clapping once with a wide smile and dragging Yuuri out of the throne room without so much as excusing himself properly.

Not for the first or even the fifteenth time today, Yuuri wonders what he’s gotten himself into.


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously: Yuuri, runaway prince of Yutopia, has found himself in the service of Victor Nikiforov, crown prince of the neighboring country of Rus. As a prospect for Prince Victor’s personal bodyguard, Yuuri was granted an audience with the Tzar. At first, Yakov is skeptical of this “Yuuri Nishigori” that his sons found on the side of the road, but he’s won over by Yuuri’s eloquence and earnest desire to be of help. Prince Yuri, though, doesn’t seem to share his father and brother’s opinion. Regardless, Yuuri’s appointment is confirmed._

Yuuri doesn’t know what it is that he expects when they leave the Tzar’s presence, but it’s certainly not to have Victor complaining about how tired he is. “Travelling is hard on the body, Yuuri,” he says wisely. “We should go to sleep early, since we have to get an early start tomorrow anyway.”

 _Oh,_ Yuuri thinks. _Maybe he’s not as immature as I thought._ “Then, if Your Highness would point me toward the servants’–”

“Call me Victor,” Victor admonishes. “I already told you that. And Yuuri, don’t you want to sleep with me?”

 _“Huh?”_ There’s no way to respond to that other than shock.

“You’re my personal guard, after all. You should be sleeping nearby, not all the way in the servants’ quarters.” Victor doesn’t seem to understand the implication behind his words, and that makes Yuuri feel at least a little bit better. He still has to figure out how to decline, though; Victor is one of the more stubborn people he’s known in a while, and it’s going to be hard, as a servant, to change his mind.

“You’re welcome to retire, Victor, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to borrow Mister Nishigori.” Yuuri’s saving grace come in the form of a young man with dark hair. “We have to go over your schedule for tomorrow and ensure that he knows what’s expected of him.”

Victor pouts, but doesn’t protest that much. Something tells Yuuri that this may be a recurring argument, but at least for now he’s letting it go. “Don’t keep him too long, Otabek. We have an early day ahead of us!”

The man– _Otabek? What an odd name_ –just raises an eyebrow. “You rarely have early days, Victor. You get up whenever you please.”

“Which is pretty early!” Victor protests.

Yuuri is looking between the two of them in shock. Is this really how servants in this country interact with their employers? Never mind the fact that Victor is a royal, it would be unheard of in Yutopia no matter the person’s rank.

Otabek doesn’t look in the slightest as though he’s joking, either. “By your standards, maybe. Now, we really must be going. I’d like to get some sleep tonight as well.”

He steers Yuuri away, keeping his shoulder in a vice grip until they get to the library. “My name is Otabek. I’m the captain of the guard. Before you ask, yes. You do outrank me.”

Yuuri blinks. “I know. I wasn’t going to ask that.”

The captain of the guard is in charge of the general guard, but personal guards are handpicked by the royal family. Therefore, they have more authority. That’s nearly unanimous, no matter the country.

Otabek’s eyebrows furrow just the slightest bit, but his expression is otherwise unreadable. Yuuri hopes that he hasn’t given himself away, and that he’s not sweating with nerves. But Otabek doesn’t say a word about it, instead pulling out a roll of parchment.

“Victor is well-loved by most, so in terms of protection, you aren’t going to have much to do. Always be on your guard, of course, but you’re more of a glorified babysitter than anything else.” He gives the scroll to Yuuri. “That’s his schedule for the rest of the week.”

“Is… why are you giving this to me?” The parchment is about as heavy as Yuuri expects, considering Victor’s title as crown prince, but there isn’t a reason that he should be the one carrying it around.

Otabek shrugs. “Victor is usually good about being where he should be, but both he and Yuri have a tendency to skip lessons they dislike. It’s your job to make sure that Victor doesn’t.”

“If I notice Prince Yuri ditching something, should I stop him?” Not that he thinks he’ll actually be able to, but he can at least try if it’s expected of him.

“Generally, if you see Yuri, either Georgi or I are very close behind him. I assure you that Victor will be more than enough to handle on his own. Just memorize that schedule and do your best to stick to it.” Otabek’s expression hasn’t changed once. “Two more things before I can let you go. You are free to ask for my help with Victor. Georgi frequently does, and he’s been Yuri’s guard for years.”

“I’d never dream of it,” Yuuri says hurriedly. “I’m sure you’re busy enough without doing my job for me. Not to say that Georgi doesn’t do his own job, but–”

Otabek cocks his head, considering him. “You really are interesting. I can see why they like you.”

Yuuri stops rambling. “Um… thank you? I think?”

“Don’t. I haven’t yet decided whether or not I like you. Your work ethic and dedication will decide that.”

The fact that he isn’t glaring only makes that a more intimidating statement. Still, Yuuri decides that he likes Otabek. People who avoid snap decisions tend to be very good judges of character, he’s learned.

He manages a smile. “Alright. You mentioned that you had something else to tell me?”

“Yes. Victor is much more than he appears to be. Keep that in mind and do what he asks.” Otabek shoots him a look that almost looks amused. “That includes his name and your sleeping arrangements.”

Yuuri just gapes at him as he puts a hand on his shoulder and leaves the library, leaving Yuuri to find his own way back.

He manages, if only after about an hour of aimless wandering, to find Victor’s room again. He doesn’t have any nightclothes, so he’s planning on just sleeping in his undershirt and trousers on the chaise at the end of Victor’s bed.

What he’s not planning on is having Victor jumping at him as soon as he opens the door. _“Yuuri!”_

“Your Highn–Victor, what are you doing?” Yuuri barely manages to keep the both of them from falling to the floor. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

Victor looks at him with wide blue eyes. “I decided to wait for you.”

 _Oh no,_ Yuuri thinks, face burning as he averts his eyes. _He’s cute. Why is he so cute?_

“That’s not healthy or appropriate,” Yuuri chides gently. “No servant should be getting in the way of something you need. And you need as much sleep as you can get.”

Somehow, Victor manages to talk Yuuri out of his original plan of using the chaise. Not twenty minutes later, he’s standing in too-big nightclothes borrowed from Victor, being tugged onto the bed. Victor latches onto Yuuri and falls asleep quickly, breathing going soft and even.

Yuuri, on the other hand, doesn’t get much sleep at all.


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously: Yuuri has survived his first day of being bodyguard to Crown Prince Victor, though not without drawing the suspicion of Prince Yuri and Otabek, the captain of the guard. Victor has proven to be quite the handful as a charge, and Yuuri is beginning to see what Otabek meant when he described the job as a “glorified babysitter.” **  
**_

It takes Yuuri several months to get used to the new life he’s living, which is, in retrospect, a good thing. It isn’t permanent; can’t be, no matter how much he enjoys it. And he does enjoy it immensely, even if he’s really just doing the same thing that he would have been doing back home.

He spars with Victor during fencing practice, just like he sparred with his own bodyguard Minami. He helps tutor Victor in the ways of the other countries of the area, like he helped Mari. He goes on afternoon rides with Victor, the way he used to do at home, alone.

It’s different in some ways, he admits. They teach each other their native languages, so that they can communicate with more than just the common languages. Yuuri has grown used to (perhaps too used to) the feeling of having someone latch onto him like an overheating barnacle at night. He learns that the palace dog, Makkachin, has a particular fondness for things that he shouldn’t have, a lot like Yuuri’s Vicchan.

He learns that Victor is relatively useless in emergencies, like when Yuuri’s thoughts get to be too much for him. He tries, after that first disaster, to keep his episodes away from Victor, since it seems to cause him distress to see Yuuri like that.

He learns that though he shows it in roundabout ways, Prince Yuri has more respect for his brother than he does for anyone, even their father. He learns that for all that Victor acts like a bumbling idiot, he’s actually smart– so smart, in fact, that it terrifies Yuuri sometimes. He can also be serious and sometimes cruel when something needs to be accomplished and isn’t (though luckily that side of him doesn’t come out often). He’s highly tactile, and shows decorum only when it’s strictly necessary.

Yuuri also learns, on one particularly average day, that he’s possibly a little bit entirely in love with Victor. And that poses a problem for him, since he has always had trouble concealing his emotions. Luckily, it seems that in this case, Victor’s denseness isn’t faked; he truly has no idea.

All in all, Yuuri is happy here. For a while, he even forgets that he’s a prince; it’s still there, hovering just at the edge of his mind at all times, but he’s often too busy to dwell on it.

Fast forward three months, and Yuuri is rolling out of bed early for once. As he recalls, there isn’t much going on today. There’s a meeting with a foreign dignitary later this morning (he wasn’t told the name; he never is, and it never matters much. He just stands there, making sure that nothing suspicious is happening and hoping that it isn’t someone that would recognize him) and a few logistical things that need to be dealt with for the ball celebrating Price Yuri’s birthday. Unless he missed something in his briefing last night, it’s going to be a relatively easy day.

He gets dressed before waking up Victor. “Your Highness. Victor, come on. It’s time for breakfast and you know how your brother is going to be if he has to wait for you.”

Victor’s eyes are closed, but he smiles and pulls Yuuri down. “He’s always like that.”

Yuuri flails a bit, trying to keep his belt buckle, knife, and sword sheath from scratching Victor. It doesn’t leave him a lot of time to stop his fall, so he lands right where Victor wants him. “Victor! You could hurt yourself doing that!”

“I can’t hear you, I’m sleeping.” Victor gives an exaggerated snore and Yuuri laughs.

“No you’re not,” he says, still chuckling.

Victor laughs with him, opening his eyes. “What gave me away?”

“You don’t snore.”

“I knew it!” Victor’s voice is suddenly very loud. When Yuuri winces, he looks apologetic. “Yura always said I snored, but I knew better.”

That doesn’t surprise Yuuri in the slightest. After all, Prince Yuri has always seemed to enjoy giving his older brother grief. Yuuri gets out of bed for a second time, tugging Victor along with him. “Come on, get dressed properly. You have a meeting after breakfast.”

“You’re such a mother hen,” Victor laughs.

“It’s my job,” Yuuri says, straightening his own collar before turning toward the wardrobe to get out clothes for Victor.

Breakfast goes about as well as can be expected. That is to say, it goes as well as it ever does, with Prince Yuri making a fuss, Victor being himself, Mila and Georgi being obnoxious, and the Tzar looking to Yuuri to try to keep some sense of sanity. Yuuri, as usual, can do nothing but look back at him helplessly.

“Yuuri, let’s go have a bath,” Victor says after fencing lessons.

Before answering, Yuuri takes a quick glance out of the east window; the sun has risen past where he can see, so it must be close to noon. “You have a guest that should be arriving any time now, so I’d advise against it.”

“Exactly! I’m quite sweaty and I hardly smell very good either. Is this how you’d have me greet a royal visitor?” Victor clutches his chest dramatically, falling into Yuuri’s arms.

Yuuri, as is his instinct at this point, catches him. _He really is lovely,_ he can’t help but think before blinking and shaking his head to recenter himself in reality. “Oh alright. But I won’t be joining you.”

Victor’s eyes widen and his bottom lip quivers in a pout that Yuuri should not find so adorable. “You’re going to leave me with Otabek?”

“Well,  _someone_ has to be around to greet the visitor, if you aren’t,” Yuuri says, grinning at the way the logic seems to hit Victor like a hammer.

He sends an errand boy to get Otabek, who arrives minutes later. He’d been right, that first day; Yuuri doesn’t call on him for help often, but there are times when he truly can’t be in two places at once. He and Victor are gone soon after, heading for the baths (though Otabek will surely stand outside the door) while Yuuri stays behind and waits for the arrival of the person who has been granted a royal audience with Prince Victor.

Mila runs up to him not thirty minutes later, panting that there’s a carriage at the gate. Yuuri makes his way to the throne room, apologies for Victor’s absence already memorized and ready to be spoken (hopefully without completely fumbling it, but that will be an issue all its own).

Those apologies die on his tongue the moment that the visiting royal is announced.

_“Presenting His Royal Highness, Crown Prince of the Southeast, Phichit Chulalont!”_


	5. Chapter 5

_Previously: As soon as Yuuri has settled into his role as Prince Victor’s personal bodyguard, his childhood friend Prince Phichit appears. Yuuri fears for his secret, as there is no doubt that his friend will be more than surprised to find Yuuri here, in the palace of the Nikiforovs._

Yuuri’s blood runs cold when he hears the crier announce the incoming royal.

_“Presenting His Royal Highness, Crown Prince of the Southeast, Phichit Chulalont!”_

Of all the royals that could possibly be visiting during Yuuri’s tenure here, the only one that could possibly be worse than Phichit would be Mari. He and Prince Phichit (affectionately dubbed Phichan by a three year old Yuuri) have been friends since Phichit was born, and there’s no one in the world that knows Yuuri better. They played together as children, and rode together during their many visits to each other’s respective kingdoms. They even lived together for a time, when they took a few years to travel for their schooling. In fact, it’s not uncommon (or _wasn’t_ uncommon, Yuuri guiltily thinks) for the two of them to sleep in the same bed; they’ve been doing it since they were children. At one point Yuuri’s parents had even wondered whether the two of them should be betrothed, but they both vehemently refused. They were much better off as friends, they knew. Besides, Phichit is in love with one of his guards, which Yuuri mercilessly teases _(teased)_ him about regularly.

Yuuri has no doubt that Phichit has been made aware of his disappearance, but he also remembers writing the boy several letters when Mari first started to pull away. He can only hope that when– not if –Phichit recognizes him, that he manages to put the two together before he exposes Yuuri.

Luckily, Victor is still not here (though he will be soon) and the Tzar is overseeing Prince Yuri’s lessons after one too many ditching attempts. For once, Yuuri is alone in the throne room.

By the time Phichit and his entourage (Seung-Gil, Leo, and Guang-Hong, all of whom Yuuri knows well) arrive in a throne room, Yuuri is kneeling, as is proper. He’s sweating from nerves, and it’s all he can do to keep his voice from shaking when he speaks in Phichit’s native language, accent near perfect from years of practice.

“I formally apologize for making you wait. His Highness will be here soon, so please, make yourself comfortable.”

He hears Phichit’s sharp intake of breath and knows he’s been found out. “On your feet, soldier. Let me see your face.”

Slowly, so slowly, Yuuri rises to face him. He can hear footsteps coming from a direction of Victor’s bedchambers, and meets Phichit’s eyes desperately. In the few seconds that it takes for Victor and Otabek to reach a throne room, the two of them reach a silent agreement, a complex conversation that’s only possible because of how well they know each other.

A wide-eyed, desperate look. _I’ll explain everything, I promise._

A look of disbelief. _Yuuri, is it really you?_

Lowered eyes for just a second. _Later. I’ll tell you everything, just please play along._

The barest hint of tears. _I missed you._

Bowed head. _…I missed you too, Phichan._

A hand on the shoulder. _You’ll explain later?_

A tiny nod. _I swear._

A light squeeze on the shoulder before pulling away. _Okay._

The other three pairs of eyes widen in recognition as well, but they stay silent. If their prince isn’t going to say anything, Yuuri is sure that they won’t either; those men are nothing if not loyal.

 _“Yuuri,”_ Victor whines, jumping on his back with his entire bodyweight. “I missed you!”

Yuuri can’t help but glance over at Phichit self-consciously. The boy looks amused, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. Yuuri can read him like a book, but he can’t afford to react any differently from how he normally would, or Otabek may suspect something.

He pries Victor off gently but firmly. “Victor, you’re being extremely rude. Besides, it’s been less than an hour since I saw you last.”

“An hour too long,” Victor says, kissing Yuuri’s hand dramatically. Yuuri privately agrees with him, but that’s an issue for another time, especially since Victor is just teasing. “Though I suppose you’re right. I apologize, Your Highness. Welcome back to our palace. I assume that your trip went without issue?”

“Of course.” Phichit says with a mischievous smile, glancing at Yuuri for a fraction of a second. “I’m more than glad to be back, especially now that I’m finally here. I see you’ve inducted a new member of your staff.”

Victor’s grin is blinding, and Yuuri doesn’t know how to process it. He’s noticed that Victor carries himself like a man who has known loneliness; it seems as though he’s attached to Yuuri in the same way that a child would attach itself to a blanket. “Isn’t he great? So polite and well behaved. I’m proud to call him my personal bodyguard.”

“May I ask his name?” Phichit’s eyes sparkle with concealed mirth that Yuuri is sure only he can see.

“Of course!” Victor claps his hands once in excitement; he always does seem to enjoy showing Yuuri off. “His name is Yuuri Nishigori, of Yutopia. He saved my life in the forest, so I decided to bring him here and give him a job as a reward.”

Guang-Hong laughs when he hears Yuuri’s “name,” but manages to cover it up as a cough. “Excuse me.”

Yuuri gives him a severe look. _Don’t forget I know about your affair with Leo._ Not, of course, that Phichit would care, but it’s nice to have some blackmail material on his friends once in a while.

“Excuse my guard, he’s laughing at my antics. I must admit to some deception, Prince Victor,” Phichit says with a small grin.

Victor raises and eyebrow in that way that Yuuri has noticed means that he’s mildly amused. “Oh?”

Phichit nods. “You see, Yuuri and I have already met.”

 _Oh no, Phichit please no._ Yuuri’s grip on the hilt of his sword anxiously.

“It’s a story quite similar to yours, actually.” Phichit smiles at Yuuri. _I’ve got this._ “I was travelling the continent for school a few years ago, and I wandered from the caravan of boredom. I found a view I particularly liked and wandered too close to the edge of a cliff. Your guard saved my life.”

Yuuri remembers that day, actually. Phichit had scared the life out of him, wandering off like that.

_“Phichan, why would you go so close to the edge? You could have died!” Yuuri could feel his heartbeat in his throat. “If I’d lost you…”_

_Phichit was shaking, his usual grin far from his face. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”_

“In fact, we became friends soon after.” Well, that’s a bold-faced lie, but Yuuri can’t expect anything different if he wants to keep his secret safe.

Victor looks at Yuuri with wide eyes. “Wow! My Yuuri is so amazing, why didn’t you tell me that you knew another royal?”

 _I know several, actually. Phichit just happens to be the one that’s here._ “It, uh, it never came up, I suppose.”

“You were named for the missing prince, right Yuuri?” Phichit cuts in.

When Yuuri nods, Victor looks confused. “What do you mean, missing prince?”

“Ah, I forget how cut off this country is from its neighbors,” Phichit says, looking apologetic and slightly sad. The sadness, Yuuri can tell, is entirely real. He feels a sharp twinge of guilt about causing it. “Yutopia’s prince, Yuuri Katsuki, went missing several months past. He’s a very dear friend of mine.”

There’s a short period of silence, where Yuuri is sure that Victor is trying to find the appropriate words to respond to a revelation like this.

“Victor, if I may make a suggestion,” Otabek says, startling them all. “Pardon my intrusion into your conversation, but perhaps, for the duration of the prince’s stay, Nishigori should stay with his company. It may make the prince more comfortable, and I am willing to take over for him for and few days.”

Yuuri blinks. Otabek has just opened a way for him to spend time with Phichit and explain himself, without even knowing what he was doing.

He’s sure that Victor is about to protest, but there’s a distinct moment when any protests die. The look of absolute gratitude on Phichit’s face could melt a heart of stone.

“I… I suppose… that would be fine,” Victor manages. His hesitation confuses Yuuri, but the confusion is overpowered by something else.

He only vaguely notices the glances Victor keeps sneaking at him for the rest of the night, and he doesn’t think about what they mean. He’s going to miss spending time with Victor one on one, but it’s only for a few days. Besides, Phichit is going to be spending a lot of time in a presence of the royal family anyway, so things won’t be so different.

As soon as the two of them close the door to Phichit’s bedchamber later that night, Yuuri finds himself being tackled on all sides by four overexcited men. Leo, Guang-Hong, and Seung-Gil look skeptical when Yuuri explains his reasons for vanishing, but Phichit– Phichan, who knows how Yuuri’s mind works, who knows everything about him –nods and understands. He swears to keep the secret, as long as Yuuri promises in turn to be home in time for his sister’s coronation.

It’s enough, for now.


	6. Chapter 6

_Previously: After three months in Prince Victor’s employment, Yuuri Nishigori has revealed that he’s apparently friends with the crown prince of the Southeast, Phichit Chulanont. Yuri has always thought that the other Yuuri is hiding something, and he’s even more sure now, seeing the way the two of them interact when they think that no one is looking. **  
**_

“But it’s so obvious, Father! How can you possibly think that he’s not hiding something?” Yuri asks for the tenth time in as many minutes. He knows that Father is getting exasperated with him, but he can’t bring himself to care because he is too. Before he even knows what’s happening, he finds himself dismissed from his father’s presence.

It’s been months, and still the only person to agree with him on the new guard is Otabek. Yuri isn’t even entirely convinced that Otabek agrees with him because Nishigori is actually suspicious, or if he just thinks something is off because he always thinks something is off. Victor is too infatuated– yes, _infatuated_ is the right word, fuck off Mila even Yuri can see that, and it’s disgusting –to notice every time Nishigori subtly corrects his etiquette, or helps Victor with his lessons. No one else seems to find it odd that this “common soldier” fences like royalty and speaks like a noble.

It makes Yuri want to scream, especially when Victor poutily tells him the story of the missing Yutopian prince as an explanation to why Prince Chulanont has suddenly absconded with his bodyguard.

 _The stupid prince is right there!_ he wants to shout. _You are sleeping in a bed with him every single night!_

There’s no one that can convince him that Prince Chulanont didn’t immediately recognize “Nishigori,” but Yuri knows that the prince has a penchant for playing games. He probably thinks this is hilarious. The worst part about this whole thing is that now he can’t even vent his frustrations to Otabek, since he’s taken over as Victor’s bodyguard. So no one can blame him if he’s a little more hostile than usual for the next few days– in the most civil way, of course.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” the other man says, as shyly polite as ever. He never fails to greet Yuri in the morning, despite usually being met with a cold glare and a sneer. Since figuring out “Nishigori’s” little secret though, Yuri has started responding.

“Good morning… _Yuuri_ ,” he says now, every morning.

The first day, Yuri can’t help but give a tiny, wickedly knowing grin when he sees “Nishigori” and Chulanont freeze. Chulanont manages to cover it well enough that if Yuri didn’t know what to look for, he may have missed it. “Nishigori,” on the other hand, blinks slowly. By the time he’s recovered, Yuri has already passed him in the hall.

Every day after that, Yuri’s morning greeting never fails to make Nishigori– to make _Katsuki_ –flinch. It’s not so much the flinching itself that makes Yuri feel like he’s accomplished something; he’s hardly the sadist that everyone thinks he is, and before all of this he had begun to tolerate Nish– _Katsuki’s_ presence quite well. It’s the fact that he’s _right_ , and that he _knows_ he’s right.

Georgi and Mila in particular find his usual tantrums hilarious, but they get these oddly terrified looks on their faces whenever he gets as passive-aggressive as he’s been the last few days. They, at least, know when Yuri is seriously frustrated. Father usually just does his best to stay out of his way, after the last time this happened.

Victor, on the other hand, hasn’t seemed to notice the tension in his guard’s shoulders whenever Yuri walks by, or the rather telling way Yuri has been acting like a cat who got the cream. He’s too wrapped up in his own misery to notice anyone around him.

It’s hard to say why he expects Ni– _Katsuki_ to confront him about this, but he does. He doesn’t even pretend to be surprised when Prince Chulanont invites him out on a walk through the gardens on the final day of his nearly two-week long stay.

For a few minutes there’s silence, and both Chulanont and Katsuki’s faces are unreadable. Yuri’s limbs feel heavy with anticipation; he knows how Yuuri Nishigori would respond to something like this, but Yuuri Katsuki is an unknown. He’s an entirely new person that Yuri has no idea how to handle.

It’s _exhilarating_.

“You’re a lot smarter than I thought you were,” Chulanont says suddenly, a bright smile on his face.

“I– You– _What?_ ” Yuri manages to stutter out after a moment of stunned silence. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Chulanont’s grin just widens. “You’re sure? Because it seems as though you know a lot more than you’re telling anyone else.”

“If you’re talking about him,” Yuri nods at Katsuki, who is still standing there looking blankly at him, “then yes. I always knew there was something off. I never thought he’d be a Katsuki until you got here, though.”

There it is. Out in the open, no dancing around it. Yuri has always hated that aspect of politics, the idea that he has to tiptoe around what both parties know the subject is. There’s a reason that he’s the head of their military; subtlety isn’t his strong suit, though strategy tends to be. Yuri knows that Victor’s new bodyguard is Prince Yuuri Katsuki. Prince Chulanont and Prince Yuuri both know that he knows. There’s no point in beating around the bush.

“So you do know.” To Yuri’s total surprise, Katsuki sounds as though he’s dead inside. “I’ll be gone by morning, don’t worry. This won’t cause any trouble for your family.”

Yuri blinks. Pauses for a moment. His mind blanks out. “What the _hell?_ ”

Katsuki and Chulanont look at him in shock, though Prince Chulanont seems more amused than offended. Yuri doesn’t have the patience for propriety or etiquette or proper eloquence on the best of days, but even less so when confronted by the _absolute stupidity_ that is apparently Yuuri Katsuki.

“You think _running away_ from this is going to solve whatever problem you’ve dreamed up?” Yuri sneers at him in disdain. “I don’t know what’s going through that thick skull of yours but if you think that leaving is going to make _less_ trouble for us, you’re even dumber than I originally thought.”

Prince Chulanont looks quietly vindicated. Something tells Yuri that he’s been trying to convince Katsuki of the same thing. Katsuki, on the other hand, just looks confused. “What do you mean? I’m a runaway prince. Now that you know that, you could get in trouble for harboring me. It could be considered an act of war.”

It would be a lie to say that Yuri’s eyes roll. They don’t just _roll_. He’s sure that he’s staring at the back of his head, they’re rolling so hard. “Do you think that my brother is going to care about war if you go missing? Do you think _I_ will?”

“What do you–”

“If you vanish, you will not be preventing trouble for my family.” Yuri doesn’t wait for Katsuki to be finished speaking, because the only thing to come out of his mouth this entire time has been idiocy and Yuri is tired of hearing it. “You will not be preventing conflict within my country.”

Katsuki looks more and more confused. “Your Majesty, I don’t–”  
  
“If you vanish overnight, without warning Victor, you will rip him apart. You will destroy the crown prince of my country, and more importantly you will hurt my brother.”

Yuri is suddenly aware of how close he’s gotten to Katsuki. He tugs the man down to his level by the collar and looks him directly in the eye. “ _I_ am the second born prince, and the head of our army. As I’m sure you’re aware, _Your Highness_ , sheltering a royal during a time of need isn’t an act of war. That would be stupid. But don’t you think for an _instant_ that I will hesitate to go to war with your country if your cowardice causes Victor to abandon his family and country to go on a wild goose chase for a man who breaks his heart just by existing. If you aren’t by my brother’s side tomorrow as usual, if you decide that the coward’s way out is the right way, _I_ will consider it an act of war. Understood?”

He knows that the logic is childish at best, blackmail at worst, and probably somewhere between the two in reality. And yet, he means every word. Yuri knows his brother; if Katsuki goes missing without telling him, Victor _will_ abandon his country to find him. He’ll scour the globe and leave Yuri in charge, and as much as Yuri whines about Victor being an oblivious idiot about most things, he’s the best damn politician Yuri has ever seen. He could never match up to Victor’s rule, and that pressure alone is enough to keep him from regretting his words to Katsuki.

Katsuki nods once, looking absolutely terrified, but at least like he understands what Yuri is saying.

“Good.” Yuri lets his jacket go and spins on his heel, stalking away.

He’s not surprised when he hears Prince Chulanont going on and on about how “I _told_ you that disappearing like that would be worse! Besides, if he hasn’t told anyone yet, he probably won’t. Your secret is safe, Yuuri.”

Yuri rolls his eyes and thinks that maybe Chulanont is mostly right. He won’t betray Prince Katsuki’s trust on this, though it would be simpler. If he’s asked why later, he’ll just say that no one would have believed him anyway. They’ll never get him to admit that maybe, just maybe, the idea of betraying him makes him a little sick to think about, in the same way the idea of betraying Victor does. So if he bites his lip to keep from grinning when Katsuki and Victor show up late for breakfast the next day, as usual, well…

That’s his secret, isn’t it?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *appears literally several months late*  
> ....  
> ...  
> 'sup

_Previously: Prince Yuri has figured out Yuuri’s secret. Despite having suspected as much for a while, Yuuri finds his sense of security has been rocked to its core. Still, with the young general’s threat of war hanging over his head to keep him from running off, Yuuri finds himself absurdly comforted by the idea that the royal family is so fiercely protective of their own. He can’t deny the confusion that surfaces when that protectiveness seems to stem from a belief that Victor would actually abandon his country for Yuuri, of all people._

“You know, when I told you that you were required to stay, that didn’t mean that you were required to  _annoy me_ ,” Yuri snaps, closing the door in Yuuri’s face. Or at least, trying to.

Yuuri sticks his foot in the door to keep it open. He’s sure it’s bruised, but that doesn’t matter; he’s dealt with bruises for years because of his own clumsiness. “I need to speak with you, Your Highness,  _please_ –”

“Go away, Katsuki,” Yuri hisses, pressing up against the door with a surprising strength. “My keeping your secret does not make me your  _confidant_.”

At this, Yuuri raises an eyebrow, but says nothing to correct him (though keeping his secret does exactly that, he’s unlikely to make any headway with Yuri by pointing that out). Instead, he uses his trump card. “I’ll teach you the katsudon recipe.”

The pressure on the door persists for a moment before his words sink in, then abruptly stops. Yuri glares at him suspiciously through the crack in the door. “You said that was a family recipe.”

“Yes, well… that’s a part of what I wished to speak with you about.” He bows his head humbly. “May I come in?”

Yuri reluctantly opens the door to allow Yuuri inside. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Yuuri isn’t sure how to put his question into words. Actually, he does, but he doesn’t quite know how proper it would be to voice those words.

“Just spit it out,” the younger boy sighs, sounding irritated as he falls back onto his bed in exasperation. “You’re overthinking things, piggy. If it has to do with my brother, you’re better off not doing that.”

Of course Yuri saw through him, Yuuri realizes. There’s little that Yuuri would be at his door for other than Victor. “…You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Yuri scoffs, still laying on his back. “Now either get over yourself and tell me what you want from me, or get out.”

He has no doubt that Yuri really would kick him out, katsudon recipe or no katsudon recipe, and he doubts that the door would open for him again afterward. Oddly enough, the threat of that seems to be the push he needs to actually say what’s on his mind, because he doesn’t remember deciding to speak before the words are already out of his mouth.

“Would it be a bad idea for me to court your brother?”

Silence.

Then, “I can not  _believe_  this is what you woke me up for. Your name is Yuuri Katsuki, not Yuuri Kat _stupid_ , but sometimes I really have to wonder.”

Yuuri doesn’t respond. He knows better than to think that Yuri is done speaking after an insult; prickly he may be, but he never avoids a question.

“It would be the most idiotic thing in the world for you to court my brother. You’re a runaway royal pretending to be his bodyguard,” Yuri says, blunt as ever.

Yuuri’s heart sinks. “I thought so t–”

“Was I done?” Yuri snaps, sitting up. Yuuri stops talking. “It would be idiotic and stupid for you to court my brother, yes. But seeing as he’s already been trying to court your oblivious ass for months, I doubt that it being dumb is enough to stop either of you.”

Yuuri blinks. Stares for a minute, because he half expects Yuri to repeat himself. There’s no way he heard that properly. Blinks again.

_“What?”_

Yuri kicks him out after that with a “Save your stupid recipe for the wedding” that makes Yuuri think that maybe the boy doesn’t hate him as much as he thought at first.

It’s been weeks since Phichit’s visit, and Victor is still sulking a bit. For all that he allowed Yuuri to be “loaned out” to the visiting prince for the duration of his stay, it was clear that he hadn’t appreciated it at all. Upon Yuuri’s return to his side, they’d gone out on a shopping trip that had taken nearly the whole day. Yuuri had let himself have just a bit of fun with it, though his guard was never lowered in case of a threat to the prince’s life. They’d bought all sorts of clothes and trinkets, and even a jar of exotic nuts. Those got misplaced before they could be opened, much to Yuuri’s dismay, but Victor had waved his worries away with a smile.

“I’m glad for your company, Yuuri,” he’d said earnestly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Yuuri has never considered himself dense or unobservant when it came to social situations. To be fair, he often went out of his way to avoid them, so he may not have an accurate sample size. Despite that, he didn’t think he was dense enough to miss something like that.

That shopping trip was definitely an  _Outing_ , rather than simply an ordinary outing. They’d even had a chaperone, as Victor had insisted that Otabek join them for reasons that, at the time, had gone completely over Yuuri’s head.

He supposes, looking back, that it might have been a good thing for him to have bought those rings from that goldsmith’s place when Victor had his back turned.

It’s a good day, he realizes, noting the lack of anxiety plaguing his thoughts when he considers possibly being happy in the long term. Still, a quiet, nagging voice in the back of his mind wonders whether or not Victor will feel the same way when he realizes that Yuuri isn’t the person he says he is.

For now, it’s easily stomped down, easily ignored, easily forgotten. If he has to listen to it tonight when he’s supposed to be sleeping, he will. For now, he marches up to Victor’s bedroom door, telling himself to take a risk despite the chance that things may go bad.

He enters without knocking, as he usually does. Victor is awake now, and synching up his belt. When Yuuri left, he was sound asleep, but he’s been known to wake up shortly after subconsciously realizing that Yuuri isn’t there anymore and  _wow_ , Yuuri really is dense, isn’t he?

“Yuuri!” he says, beaming. “I was about to go looking for you! There isn’t much to do today, right?”

Yuuri gulps, swallowing the sudden nervousness that’s risen up in his throat and chest. “You’re correct. I was actually wondering if you would do me a small favor, Victor.”

Victor blinks at him curiously. Yuuri hasn’t ever asked for anything before, beyond the necessities. “Of course. If it’s within my power, it will be yours.”

Is it hot in here, or is it just the blood rushing to Yuuri’s cheeks? He may never know (or rather, he may never admit it). Still, he lets out a long breath. “Would you join me on a ride around the castle grounds after breakfast?”

He thinks it’s worth the embarrassment when Victor’s face breaks into a heart-shaped grin so wide, Yuuri worried that he may pull a muscle.

“Of course!”

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

_Previously: Prince Phichit has returned home, to Victor’s quiet (but fairly obvious) relief. After a bit of unexpected prompting from Prince Yuri himself, Yuuri gathered his courage and began courting Prince Victor._ **  
**

That first true outing is one of Victor’s best memories. Seven months after his arrival, Yuuri had finally let loose and allowed himself to go all out, riding the way Victor had always known he could. Still, knowing and seeing were two very different things. The stunned look on Victor’s face when he’d been left in Yuuri’s dust had him laughing.

“Come on, Highness. I know you can do better than that!” he’d teased, slowing to a trot and circling back a few yards. “Or perhaps you’re getting too old to ride properly?”

For a moment, Victor was too amazed to respond. Yuuri had, unknowingly, positioned himself and his horse directly in front of the forest, forming a picturesque scene that nearly brought tears to Victor’s eyes. Yuuri had never ridden in front of him before, simply because he hadn’t needed to. Victor had pinched himself discreetly before riding after Yuuri to take him up on his challenge.

Yuuri on horseback was something magical, he learned that day. It was as if his worries, his anxieties melted away, leaving only the man Victor had fallen in love with behind. He sat up straighter, smiled more freely, laughed more openly. When he really lost himself in the moment, it was clear that not only was he easily one of the most skilled riders Victor had ever come across, but that he truly enjoyed the sport even more than Victor.

If Victor was a less god-fearing man, he would have described that day as a holy experience.

Even a week later, Victor considered himself the luckiest man alive. Yuuri had finally reciprocated his affections, allowing Victor the freedom to finally, officially court him. His family’s opinion has always been important to him, particularly his brother and father’s. That they seem to love Yuuri as much as he does (albeit in a different way) is as reassuring as it is expected. After all, who in their right mind  _wouldn’t_ love Yuuri? He’d all but cemented his spot in the family in barely seven months; even Yuratchka adored him, not that he’d ever be caught saying so. Father approved of him, and both Mila and Georgi found him endearing. Otabek was… an enigma, but he always was. Victor likes to think that he approves as well, given that he’s generally fairly open about his dislikes, if not  his likes.

So why, he wonders to himself, is it so hard for him to man up and kiss Yuuri?

It’s partially Yuuri’s fault, he reasons to himself as he tosses and turns at some unholy hour of the morning. Victor knows intuitively that if he times this wrong, Yuuri won’t respond well. That if he does it casually, its meaning could twist itself a hundred thousand ways in his mind so that it ended up meaning “I’m not worth a grand gesture and declaration. Maybe he doesn’t truly feel the same.”

But then there’s the dilemma that if he  _does_ make some grand, romantic gesture (which is more to his taste anyway), Yuuri will crumble under the pressure of having to reciprocate. Not, of course, that Victor thinks Yuuri can’t handle pressure, but he doesn’t like it much and the last thing he wants is for his Yuuri to be uncomfortable.

So he has to find a moment that perfectly balances the two, that’s casual enough not to have any accompanying pressure but is intimate enough to very clearly convey Victor’s feelings in a way that can’t be misconstrued.

Then again, maybe this is just his overtired mind overthinking things again.

In the end, the moment presents itself without prompting within days of him coming to this sleepy conclusion. They’re out late on a midnight ride. Victor wants to take Yuuri out to a meadow he knows that’s great for seeing the stars. Occasionally he’ll look over and find Yuuri already looking at him as if he’s already seeing them. It makes him… well, Victor hates the word  _giddy_ , but if the shoe fits…

When they reach the meadow and dismount, Victor sits on the grass and pulls Yuuri down with him, laughing. “Look at the stars with me, Yuuri. We can look at the… what’s the word? The patterns!”

Yuuri yelps at the cool grass hitting his bare arms, but settles easily enough, curling into Victor’s side adorably. “Alright.”

They spend the next… Hour? Two? pointing out constellations to each other and teaching each other the names in their native tongues.

“The lion?” Yuuri confirms in the common tongue when Victor points it out. “We call it Shi-Shi.”

Victor has always loved hearing Yuuri speak his own language, though he’s picked up notes of homesickness when he does it from time to time. He makes a mental note to make another trip to Yutopia.

“We call it Lev,” he says, pronouncing it lee-ef. “It means–”

But he never ends up finishing that sentence, because right then an arrow buries itself in the grass where his head was a second ago– where it still  _would_ have been, had Yuuri not yanked him out of the way.

Yuuri looks at him, a fire burning in his eyes that Victor has never seen before. “Are you alright, Your Highness?”

He’s too shaken to even feel the pang of grief that goes through him at the return of his irritating label. “I…  yes.”

This has never happened before. No one has ever made an attempt on his life, as far as he’s aware. The idea of a bodyguard has always been slightly abstract to him; his bodyguards have always been his companions, his closest friends. It often slipped his mind that they were there to protect him, simply because he’s never before needed protecting. He didn’t even bring his sword out with him tonight.

But the reality hits him hard as he watches the pure, simple joy disappear from Yuuri’s face in an instant. He draws his sword, ready to protect Victor at the expense of his own life, and Victor realizes: his bodyguards, be they close friends like Chris or something infinitely more precious like Yuuri, still have a duty to his father, to his country. Because, as Victor never really lets himself forget, he is its future. Yuratchka is too young and passionate, and anyway, Victor would never wish the life of the crown prince on his little brother.

Well-loved and cheerful though he may seem, it’s a lonely existence, being put on a pedestal. As he watches Yuuri go toe to toe with the masked man that wants to kill them both for some reason that no doubt has to do with some outdated grudge he has against the throne, Victor remembers that.

And as the failed assassin falls, bleeding and disabled but alive, he remembers that, as godlike and perfect as Yuuri appears to  _him_ , he’s still very much mortal. And the sight of him panting and bleeding the way he is now is something straight out of Victor’s worst nightmares, though his wounds are, objectively, hardly severe. A few shallow cuts on his arms from the assassin’s dagger, some mild bruising, and a small cut on his face; nothing more from what Victor can tell.

So why, Victor wonders, still in shock even as Yuuri loads the disabled assassin onto his horse and guides Victor to his own, why is his heart pounding so fast? Is it simply because he’s afraid that Yuuri could have died, left him alone again?

Or is it, he realizes as they reach the castle again, that a world without Yuuri in it is simply unfathomable to him? That the very idea of it has his pulse racing, his eyes darting over to ensure that Yuuri is still there, still alive, still with him?

The night guard notices them coming back with a third member to their party and alerts the rest of the guard. Victor hears him loudly call for someone to wake the general, and it takes him a moment to realize that he means Yuratchka.

The assassin, the man who tried to kill Victor and succeeded in hurting Yuuri, is handed over to his younger brother without so much as a thought to Yuri’s safety. Victor wants to protest before he remembers that, just as he’s been groomed his entire life for politics and etiquette, Yuratchka has been trained for combat and security. When Victor learned languages, Yuratchka played war games. It’s frustrating, not being able to protect the people he loves, to be forced to rely on them instead.

Victor is used to boredom, not frustration. This is new, and it’s unpleasant, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it because he’s frustrated and he’s helpless and _he almost lost Yuuri and he couldn’t do anything to stop it._

He forces himself to look at the facts, though; he would have been more hindrance than help. Yuuri is easily the best swordsman he’s ever seen, on par with Yuratchka. And, objectively speaking, he’s fine. Barely even banged up. It could have been so much worse, unimaginably worse.

But as Victor patches him up in their– he can’t bring himself to call it  _his_ –bedroom, he can’t keep his own hands from shaking. He should be more worried that someone tried to kill him. He knows that, of course, but living life as the crown prince of a country cut off from the rest of the world left him so bored for so long that he doesn’t remember ever having a self-preservation instinct. Instead, he’s still in shock from the fact that Yuuri risked his  _life_ to protect–

“Victor?”

Yuuri’s voice is gentle, but strained in a way that makes Victor suspect that he’s just as distraught, if not even more so. Victor meets his eyes for the first time since the attack, and Yuuri’s gaze is warm, flickering in the dim light from the fireplace.

“Are you alright?” And oh, god, the gentle concern in his voice breaks Victor’s heart but not nearly as much as the apprehension does, as if he’s done something to warrant disgust or anger from Victor when that couldn’t be further from the truth. “You’re… You’re not injured?”

The tiny, shallow cut on his face has stopped bleeding, but it glistens anyway. With a pang, Victor realizes that Yuuri is trying hard (and only mostly succeeding) not to cry.

It’s as if there’s a blip in time, because Victor doesn’t recall making the decision to do so but the next thing he knows, he’s gently kissing the wound. Yuuri’s breath hitches in surprise.

“Vic…Victor?”

“I could have lost you.” It’s this that seems to surprise Yuuri and of course it is. In spite of Victor’s best efforts, he still doesn’t seem to understand the depth of Victor’s feelings. “There’s nothing that man could have done to me that could have been worse than taking you from me.”

They’re so close right now, in this moment, that all it would take to make this moment a kiss is a twitch in the right direction. Victor stays right where he is, though, revelling instead in the flush of Yuuri’s cheeks, the feel of his breath on Victor’s face, the fact that he’s  _alive_. He’s content to stay here for the rest of time.

It’s only later that Victor realizes that Yuuri stayed silent, and his overtired, overstressed mind misses the fact that Yuuri didn’t promise that Victor would never lose him.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be updating this version and the tumblr version ([https://realisticallycynical.tumblr.com/post/157430068446/in-the-rough]()) simultaneously, but as of the time I'm posting the first chapter there are six in total. Click the link to see the prompt this was based on
> 
> Hope you liked it! :)


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